An American in London: Chrissy Rutherford on Styling Tips and London

Interviews

An American in London: Chrissy Rutherford on Styling Tips and London

She's not you average editor. Nor is she your average influencer. Meet Chrissy Rutherford: HarpersBazaar.com's senior fashion editor and an influential woman in her own right. She's a voice of reason in a sea of instagrammers who speak only of nice things - her instagram stories range from Chanel appointments to the new playlists (she has the greatest taste in music) and everything in between - but she also touches on issues such as racial diversity in fashion in the most honest way.

But before we stop harping on about her greatness, let us just mention her style: sassy, sophisticated, fierce and so damn Chrissy. But what's this New Yorker's favourite styling tip? We met her at the Bloomsbury Hotel in London to find out.

What do you love about London, and who are your favourite designers?

London just feels really cool to me, from the people to the architecture, there’s so much history. The designers are super innovative which I think is also a reflection of the city. I always look most forward to Christopher Kane and Erdem every season.

You have a great collection of unique accessories - which are your current favourites?

I’m normally not an accessories-obsessed person but I’ve come to collect some pretty great pieces lately. I really like 324NY and Michino bags. For footwear I’m obsessed with my new Toga shoes, you can be wearing just jeans and a t-shirt and those shoes will make it look like the coolest outfit.

What’s your top styling tip for autumn?

For fall and the following cold weather months, I like to adopt a uniform. I think it when you work in an office it makes getting dressed a lot easier and it can be incredibly chic. My go-to is Wolford roll neck bodysuit, with the high-waisted jeans and then i play around with my shoes and outerwear to make it feel different every day.

Tell us how you put a Chrissy-style outfit together?

I always have a difficult time describing my style and how it’s come to be what it is, but the only thing I can really say is that I just dress how I feel and who I want to be that day. Some days I can dress super feminine and other days I want to wear a suit. I also really love building a look that balances both feminine and masculine influences.

You’re an influential woman on instagram as well as a fashion editor - do you find that that one compliments the other?

For sure, I have a job that gives me great access to products to people to events that lot of other people don’t, and so showing that I think is really interesting for people who are interested in this space. Although of course because we tend to only show the cool side to fashion I think that a lot of young people don’t understand that 75% of the time it’s just hard work and stress.

You stand for more than just good style. Do you find instagram audiences to be as receptive to your opinions on the industry as they are to your fashion content?

Yes definitely. I don’t want anyone ever thinking that my life is perfect and glamorous all the time and I just get free stuff every day. I’m still a black woman in America, I’m an anxiety sufferer, and I’m always going to share parts of me that are less *glam* because that’s who I am!

Who are your favourite people to follow on instagram and why?

@petshopboy is my absolute favorite account. He has the funniest Instagram stories where he posts commentary through gifs and memes on anything from political news to pop culture feuds and it just makes me cry laughing every day
From a style standpoint I think @styleheroine, @xeniaadonts and @vanessahong are doing it the best. Their photography is on point and their style is fresh and uncomplicated.